Dump, the recording and performing alias of James McNew, is reissuing his long out-of-circulation LPs Superpowerless (1993) and I Can Hear Music (1994) on Morr Music. McNew has been the bassist from legendary lo-fi rockers Yo La Tengo since 1992. Remastered by Bob Weston (Shellac, Mission of Burma), the LPs are being released on vinyl for the first time ever. Superpowerless will be available as a CD, a double LP or digital download, and I Can Hear Music will be available as two CDs, a triple LP package or digitally. Both will be released with the original album artwork, bonus materials and detailed liner notes. Stream both tracks from the 7″ split of ‘Secret Blood’/’Slow Down’ now, which was released January 24th on Morr Music.

Raised in Charlottesville, VA, McNew performed with Christmas from 1989 until they broke up two years later, at which point he joined Yo La Tengo. Yo La Tengo was known to have an extensive repertoire of covers-fittingly, McNew recorded an entire album of Prince covers as Dump. Tastefully chosen covers appear on much of his other recorded work.

The Dump moniker officially began in 1991, but he didn’t have any releases after that name until Superpowerless came out two years later. McNew recorded most instruments-guitar, bass, drums, organ and vocals-by himself, except for the instances in which his Yo La Tengo bandmates joined him. McNew captured everything on a 4-track cassette recorder. “It made more sense to me if someone recorded a song in the moment by themselves, and got it to me as soon as possible,” he said of the process. McNew much preferred the lo-fi aesthetic he gleaned from this process to the clean, polished sound obtained in a traditional studio setting. What’s more, some of the instruments weren’t instruments at all-Dump was known to have used “cardboard boxes as bass-drums” and to have prized “the victory of enthusiasm over perfection.” He recorded I Can Hear Music in a living room, which is particularly apropos for the lo-fi style he aimed for.

Superpowerless Tracklisting

01. Hands Of Fear
02. So Sedimentary
03. Secret Blood
04. Good Medicine
05. Formerly One-Eye
06. Dark Road
07. Just For You
08. Outer Spaceways, Inc
09. The Sea Wall
10. Broken Conscience
11. Throw Out The Lifeline
12. The Quality Of Hurt
13. 19 ½
14. Moon River
15. Superpowerless
16. Ode To Shaggs’ Own Thing
17. Love Theme From “Providence”
18. Knox’s Lament
19. How Many Bells?
20. Intro/ Nothing Left
21. Down To The Sea In Ships
22. Pennies From Heaven
23. Christmas Card
24. Snowman
25. Bunny Boy
26. Jaundice
27. Bus-Kicker’s Theme

I Can Hear Music Tracklisting
CD1

01. Slow Down

02. Jury Duty

03. Hope, Joe

04. Into Fall

05. Flap My Arms

06. The Letter

07. Relocation Program

08. Ceilings

09. Invisible

10. Morning Morning

11. Remembering

12. Don’t Let On

13. Wanted Man

14. Curl

15. Zusaan Says

16. Liberty Spikes

17. Burning

18. It’s Not All Right

19. Beyond The Door

20. Never Comes

21. Vienna

22. Over

CD 2

01. I Can Hear Music

02. I Want To Be With You

03. Class Of…

04. No One, Never

05. Dear Betty

06. Acupuncture

07. 8 Km High

08. Bill Withers

09. Slow Down

10. Swimming Pool (Live)

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